The Yin To Big Data's Yang: Serendipity

That’s what Macy’s Julie Bernard seemed to suggest Big Data analysis, indicating that in some cases, it is actually harming brands by making them “too relevant.”

Sometimes, she told OMMA DDM attendees, the application of data ends up making consumer experiences so “customizabley personalized” that it actually becomes too relevant and thus of
little interest to consumers.

“You’re only ever showing me apparel and handbags,” Bernard said, speaking in the voice of one of her consumers. “Maybe I want to buy
something for my husband every once in awhile.”

The trick for brand marketers, she said, is to avoid becoming too familiar to consumers and to “bring that sense of
discovery” to them.